


A Little Unwell

by amine



Series: Gen X and Gen Z [14]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Mental Breakdown, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-19 21:30:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16542614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amine/pseuds/amine
Summary: "Peter nodded, and he leaned into Tony as an arm wrapped around his shoulders and he was led to Tony’s still running car. They remained quiet as Tony drove back to his Manhattan apartment, but as soon as they were inside, Tony closed the door and folded his arms.'All right, Pete. Spill.'Peter collapsed on one of the couches and leaned back, closing his eyes for several moments before he opened them and swallowed hard.'They found the man who killed Uncle Ben.'"





	A Little Unwell

Peter and Tony had established a while ago that if Peter called either through the suit or through a “panic button” app on his phone that it was an emergency, and Tony needed to answer right away. If Peter texted or called normally, he just wanted to talk, and Tony could ignore him if he was busy with something else.

It was also generally understood that an “emergency” meant that Peter’s life was in danger, or he was involved in a situation where other people’s lives were in danger and Peter couldn’t handle it on his own.

The situation he was in didn’t fit either of those categories, but he found his shaking finger hovering over the panic button anyway. He _was_ panicking, but he didn’t know if Tony would be annoyed with him using the emergency line over something that wasn’t life-threatening.

In the end, he went to his regular contacts instead and selected Tony’s name. As he held the phone to his ear and listened to the ringing, he let his head lean forward to rest against his knees, which he held close with his free arm. 

“Please pick up, Mr. Stark. _Please_.”

The phone continued to ring, and Peter was afraid he was going to be ignored, but then Tony’s voice came on, cheerful and oblivious.

“Hey, kid! Did you save some more kittens today?”

The relief of hearing the sound of Tony’s voice made Peter break, and he couldn’t hold back his sobbing. “Mr. Stark!”

There was the harsh sound of a chair scraping across the floor, and Tony’s voice was full of alarm. “Peter? What’s wrong?”

Somehow, hearing Tony call him by his full name instead of a nickname just made Peter cry even more, and he babbled uselessly as he tried to ask for Tony to come get him.

Thankfully, Tony seemed to understand what he wanted, and Peter could hear a flurry of activity on Tony’s end even through his loud sobbing. “Stay where you are, Pete. I’ll be right there.”

It wasn’t long before a car was screeching to a halt near the alleyway where Peter had tucked himself away, and someone’s feet pounding on the pavement rapidly approached. Peter flinched at the hand on his shoulder, but then he looked up into the deeply concerned face of Tony Stark.

“Kid, what’s wro—”

Tony was cut off by Peter surging up to cling to him, and he stumbled slightly before he wrapped his arms around Peter and steadied himself.

“Peter, what’s _wrong_?” Peter continued to sob, unable to answer, and Tony gave him a squeeze. “Do you need me to call May?”

That sobered Peter instantly and he sprang away from Tony with wide eyes. “No, no! Don’t tell May!” Tony gave him a skeptical look, and Peter gave him what he hoped was a pleading look. “Please, Mr. Stark. Please. Can I just go with you somewhere?”

Tony continued to look skeptical, no doubt thinking that he didn’t want to be on the wrong side of May Parker again, but he finally nodded. “Okay, kid. But you _have_ to tell me what’s going on.”

Peter nodded, and he leaned into Tony as an arm wrapped around his shoulders and he was led to Tony’s still running car. They remained quiet as Tony drove back to his Manhattan apartment, but as soon as they were inside, Tony closed the door and folded his arms.

“All right, Pete. Spill.”

Peter collapsed on one of the couches and leaned back, closing his eyes for several moments before he opened them and swallowed hard.

“They found the man who killed Uncle Ben.”

Tony’s arms slowly fell to his sides at the same rate that his mouth fell open, and he blinked in shock.

“Shit, Pete. When did this happen?”

Peter closed his eyes again and shook his head. “This morning we were asked to come to the police station and they said they—” Peter’s voice cut off in a choke as he remembered the picture they’d brought out. How they’d explained that he was Ben’s murderer. How May had cried and he’d felt the stab of grief as fresh and deep as the day it had happened.

He opened his eyes again as he felt Tony sit down next to him, and he turned to give Tony a watery gaze. Tony’s hand on his shoulder was gentle, as was his expression. “That’s not what this is about, though, is it?”

Peter shuddered, because, no, he wouldn’t have wound up curled up in an alleyway if it had just been the grief that came back. He’d be crying in May’s arms on the couch in their apartment the same they’d done for days after Ben died if that was all it was.

No, it had been...

“I...for a minute there I wanted to find him and kill him. I wanted to shoot him the way he did to Ben. I wanted to rip his heart out the way he did to me. I wanted to see him suffer and hurt for every night May woke up crying because Ben wasn’t there anymore. And I just...I felt it so strongly. I’ve never wanted to do that to anyone before and I just…”

His voice broke as a fresh wave of tears sprang to his eyes, and he brought his balled fists to his eyes as he started to curl in on himself again.

He’d seen red when Thanos had stabbed Tony, but that rage had been nothing like the pure hatred and bloodlust he’d felt that morning seeing his uncle’s killer. When the haze of that hatred has passed, Peter had been so terrified of himself that he’d told May he was going out and had wound up panicking in an alley. It still terrified him that he was capable of those feelings.

There were hands pulling on him that he wrenched away from, but they came back and continued to gently coax him. It was then he realized that he’d curled up into a ball so tight that his nails were breaking his skin, and Tony was trying to pull him out of it. He relaxed out of the hold he had on himself and relaxed further as he was pulled into Tony’s arms. He shuddered again as Tony held him and gently ran a hand through his hair.

“I get it, kid. I really do. I felt the same when I found out Barnes was the one who killed my parents. When I found out Cap knew and kept it from me. I wanted to hurt them because they hurt me. I would have, too, if Cap hadn’t taken me out.”

Peter stiffened at that admission. He only vaguely knew what happened in Siberia after Captain America and the Winter Soldier had escaped in a quinjet in Leipzig. He only knew that there was a whole lot of bitterness that went beyond the disagreement over the Accords. To hear, even vaguely, what had happened made Peter’s chest ache for Tony.

“But I realized, like you, that it was just the heat of the moment. Having my parents’ killer in front of me and being betrayed by someone I’d called a friend had taken away my ability to reason. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to truly forgive them, but it’s not worth carrying around those negative feelings all the time. I have enough problems as it is.”

Peter let out a small chuckle, but then he frowned. “I’m just worried that, I don’t know, somewhere Ben could see me like that and he was disappointed in me. He always wanted me to be better.”

He felt Tony flinch, and he recalled the conversation they’d had what felt like forever ago. 

_I just wanted to be like you!_

_And I wanted you to be better._

Peter squeezed Tony’s arm as a way of saying that he didn’t resent Tony for what had happened then. He’d gotten careless and arrogant. He’d needed to be grounded a bit. 

Tony relaxed and started petting his hair again. “I never knew Ben, but I guarantee that if your aunt married him and he raised an amazing kid like you, he must have been one hell of an amazing man. I _know_ he’d be proud of the man you’re becoming. I know _I’m_ proud of you.”

Those words made him tear up again, so he turned to hide his face against Tony’s shoulder. “Thank you, Mr. Stark.”

Tony pressed a kiss to the top of his head and patted him on the back. “No problem, kid. By the way, if you’re ever feeling like that again, use the emergency line. I almost didn’t pick up.”

Peter nodded and slowly sat up, wiping at his eyes while Tony ruffled his hair. “I better get home. May’s going to be...she’s going to need me.”

Tony nodded and stood up, offering Peter a hand. “You’re a good kid, Pete. The best.”

Any other day, Peter would have been over the moon hearing that from his childhood hero, but he was too emotionally drained to do anything but give a small smile as he took Tony’s hand and was pulled to his feet.

Rather than lead him out, Tony pulled him into another wordless hug. When it didn’t immediately end, Peter let himself break down again. He was going to go home and be the strong one offering May a shoulder to cry on, but for the moment he could let himself be broken.


End file.
